


Christmas in Hopewell

by Wildathartt84



Category: The Wilds (TV 2020)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Cheesy, Cheesy Christmas movie AU, Christmas, Christmas Fluff, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, F/F, Toni-centric
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-21
Updated: 2020-12-25
Packaged: 2021-03-11 03:29:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 4,446
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28208349
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Wildathartt84/pseuds/Wildathartt84
Summary: Toni Shalifoe is a jack of all trades living in Hopewell, MN who is hired to work on the set of a new TV show filming in her town.She immediately butts heads with the star of the TV show, Shelby Goodkind.
Relationships: Shelby Goodkind/Toni Shalifoe
Comments: 21
Kudos: 171





	1. The meeting

**Author's Note:**

> I've been watching Christmas movies all weekend and I just had to play with the trope and this ship. Thanks for indulging me!

Toni stepped back from the gazebo in the town square. The lights looked fantastic. Now she just needed to come back tomorrow and hang the holly. Christmas wasn’t really her jam but she usually got a lot of gigs hanging up lights around town.

Toni had grown up here in Hopewell. Her mom had been in and out of her life when she was growing up and when she did get clean, she moved who know where with some new boyfriend. Toni had lost track of her.

She grabbed her tool box and slid into her beat up truck. She smiled to herself as she drove past all the familiar sites of the town she had lived in her whole life. If you would have told 15-year-old Toni that 10 years later she would still be here and would love it. She would have laughed in your face and shot you the bird. She wasn’t even sure how she had fallen in love with Hopewell or when it happened. After high school when her friends were moving away and going to college, she couldn’t afford to go anywhere, so she just started finding ways to make money. Picking up work wherever she could. And slowly but surely, she built a life she was proud of here. And it was a point of pride that she had done it all on her own.

She had ended up making pretty good money for herself by picking up odd jobs and of course, coaching the high school team. Her favorite job though was an after school basketball program she ran a few days a week at the Boys and Girls Club. The kids she worked with reminded her of herself at that age and it mattered that could see someone who had grown up the same way they were making a god life for themselves. She had even saved up enough to buy her own little house. It probably didn’t look like much to most people, but it was the first home she had ever had that was completely hers and was the thing she was most proud of. She had put a lot of work into it and fixed it up so it was perfect.

The life she had build here was so good, except for the love life part. But the more she worked the more she could forget about that. It had been two years since she had broken her engagement with Frances. She had love for her sure, but it was too comfortable and to be honest boring. She wanted a big love, She knew it existed and she wanted it for Frannie too. They had sort of just let their relationship move forward without either of their hearts really in it. And as much as she got lonely sometimes, she never regretted it. And she felt like she had set Frannie free. Frannie had moved to Fargo, the big city a few months ago and Toni had heard she had got a good job baking at a bakery. She had been staying here in Hopewell for Toni, because this was where her life was.

Her phone buzzed in her pocket. “ Hey Mama B.” Toni said as she answered her phone. It was her best friend Marti’s mother. Mrs. Blackburn was the mayor’s secretary and was the one who called when the mayor wanted her to do some work for the town.

She had met Martha in middle school and she had never met anyone as kind or as positive as Marti. Martha and her whole family had always looked out for her and she had even lived with them for a time in high school when she just current handle her latest foster home assignment. The Blackburns were her family and were one of the big reasons why she would never leave Hopewell. Her family might not be blood but she had chosen them and they were always looking out for her.

Martha’s husband Jackson had even grown on Toni. When Marti had met Jackson her first week of classes at the community college, Toni had been skeptical. Martha had never had a boyfriend in high school and never really had a lot of guys interested in her. It embarrassed Toni to think that she had thought there had to be a scam or something going on for this guy to want to date Marti. She didn’t think anyone else saw Marti like she did, didn’t she how amazing she was. And selfishly she had always kind of been okay with that. She wanted Marti to be happy but she also loved having her solely as her person.

As their relationship blossomed and she spent more time around him, Toni couldn’t ignore the way he looked at Marti or more importantly, how happy he made her. Toni had even put on a fancy frilly dress to stand next to Marti as they got married. And as much as Toni didn’t quite have the best, let’s be honest, any relationship with God, they named her Lily’s godmother when she was born 2 years ago. Now that beautiful little girl had aunt Toni completely wrapped around her finger. And spoiling her was one of Toni’s favorite hobbies.

“Hey honey, run by town hall, when you can. They have a job opportunity to talk to you about. And it’s an exciting one.”

This was the call Toni had been waiting for. There was a tv crew coming in to shoot a few episodes of a new show in Hopewell so they could get the tax breaks. She had no idea what the TV show was supposed to be about. She just knew that when tv shows can came into towns a lo they hired local workers for building sets security and other jobs. She had done so many jobs for the town throughout the year she had been hoping that she would be called on when the TV crew arrived.

She took a deep breath and took a sip of the orange soda in her console. She needed to tempered her expectations. Toni survived by not letting herself expect anything. Things rarely worked out for her. But she did have hope, she had worked hard and knew she had a built a good reputation of doing good work efficiently. She had earned the trust of the town and the town government. Nobody else was more surprised than her that she was able to make something of herself. This would be a good solid job. But maybe the Mayor wanted to talk to her about something else, like another building he needed lights on.

Toni went to pull into a parking space in front of the town hall, and a fancy bright fucking red sportscar whipped in front of her, barely missing the front bumper of her truck. Toni glared as a blonde woman and man dressed in a suit she guessimated cost more than the monthly mortgage payment on her little house got out of the car. The woman was drop dead gorgeous in an effortless way. She was wearing a pink jumpsuit that would have looked ridiculous on most people but fit her perfectly. She somehow managed to look expensive, perfect, and like she wasn’t trying and didn’t care at all. 

What were people like that even doing at Hopewell Town Hall? Some people are so rude. Of course, it was the last spot. She had to try to keep her anger in check, years of therapy had taught her anger management techniques, that didn’t mean she couldn’t cuss them under her breath as she backed up and drove on to park her car across the street.

When Toni finally had parked and walked into Town Hall, the Mayor called her over, “Oh Toni, you made it, perfect timing.” Mayor Cooper turned back to the couple he was talking to and Toni recognized them as the occupants of the red sports car. “This is the woman I was telling you about, the best handy person in Hopewell. If you need sets built or maintained, Toni is who you need on the production.”

Now it all made sense. Of course they were with the TV production, why else would people like that be in Hopewell.

“Howdy, I’m Shelby Goodkind, I’m starring in the show and this town is just so.. quaint, its soo perfect.” The woman said in a strong southern drawl as she held her hand out.

Toni faked a smile and turned away from the handshake and smirked as the woman tried to awkwardly pretend she hadn’t had her arm outstretched.

“I would have been here earlier but someone took the last parking spot as I was pulling in.” Toni shot a dirty look at this Shelby as she did and the woman blushed and looked embarrassed.

Tone it down Toni, she told herself. She needed this job and if that meant she was going to have to work with this Shelby Goodkind, then so be it.


	2. Shelby Goodkind

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shelby settles into her motel room in Hopewell MN.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a lot of background set up, promise the next one will have them interacting!

Shelby looked around the dingy small motel room. Who had said Hollywood was glamorous? This small town definitely was not glamorous. She had moved to Hollywood 6 years ago on a whim and a prayer, really just to get away. She had been doing a show with the community theater in Fort Travis, dating her high school sweetheart and taking classes at the community college. From the outside it was a nice life, and it was, really, but it didn’t feel like it was her life. She had felt like she was starring in someone else’s story. When Andrew got down on one knee and proposed after church one Sunday in front of all their family and friends, she knew what she had to do. She had said yes, of course, because that was what she was expected to do. A single tear ran down her face but it was not for the reason every watching assumed.

She did not feel overwhelming joy like she saw on the faces of the people in all those engagement videos on Tik Tok and Insta. She wanted a love like that made her heart soar and Andrew was nice enough but he did not make her heart soar. He hadn’t in a long time and she secretly suspected that she didn’t make his heart soar either. Their parents were great friends and it was just assumed Shelby and Andrew would get married and Andrew would continue working at his father’s business. If she had stayed with Andrew, Shelby’s entire life would have pre-determined for her.

If she hadn’t met Renee, she would still be in Fort Travis, married to Andrew and would probably have at least three kids by now. Renee. Shelby hadn’t thought about her in so long. In some ways, she owed her career to her, she had been the one to encourage Shelby to leave Fort Travis with her to pursue their dreams. She had also been the break Shelby’s heart and move out all her stuff and disappear while Shelby was on set for her first big break, a feature role in an episode of a popular crime drama.

Renee had been the director’s assistant for her show at the community theater that summer, she was home from college at UCLA and helping out for course credit. One night early in rehearsals, most of the cast ended up at a diner afterward, one of those 20-person table takeovers. Shelby loved feeling like part of the group and felt so much more connected to these people than she had been feeling to her church friends lately, she couldn’t explain what it was. Renee and her ended up across from each other at one end of the table, as the night wore on, Shelby found herself talking exclusively to Renee, it was as if they were in their own little world.

She hadn’t even noticed that most of their group had left when Renee asked if she wanted to get out of there. They sat in Renee’s car for hours just talking, she understood Shelby like no one ever had. She hadn’t kissed her that night but their relationship slowly evolved until she was sneaking off to hang out with Renee as often as she could get away with. When the summer ended and Renee suggested Shelby come back to LA with her, she didn’t think she would have the courage to do it, but she also couldn’t imagine her life without Renee, she had fallen hard. After they had gotten to LA, things went down-hill, they had a tiny one bedroom off campus apartment and could barely keep their heads above water with both of them working multiple jobs. Their relationship wasn’t faring much better than their finances, Renee wanted to go out and see and be seen and Shelby was more comfortable relaxing at home together. Renee started going out by herself more and more leaving Shelby at home. The tension rose right as Shelby’s career started taking off and Renee’s had floundered. Shelby had known that Renee had been feeling a lot of feelings about Shelby landing a solid role, but she thought deep down she was happy for Shelby. She was completely blindsided on that rare rainy Thursday afternoon when she walked into their apartment and all the furniture and all of Renee’s things were gone, the only things were the paltry few things Shelby had brought from Texas. What hurt the most was the preparation that had gone into it, moving furniture was not something you did on a whim.

That been 5 years ago and Shelby had established her career and life in LA. She had dated on and off, mostly on down low per her agent’s instructions, Shelby’s girl next door image didn’t sync with lesbian in middle America. She hated dated anyone seriously, no one had held her attention and she figured she was just going to be single forever.


	3. On set

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Toni's first day on set

Toni rolled over and caught sight of the clock, that couldn’t be right. Fuck. It was already 8 o’clock and she was about to be late for her first day on the set. Shower or food? Shower or food? She sniffed, yeah shower it is. She brushed her teeth in the shower, braided her into a long braid as she fed TuPac her English Bulldog. “We’ll have a long walk later buddy,” she said, kissing him on the head and running out the door.

She pulled up to the town square where they were shooting today right at 8:29. Parked her car in the designated spot after they had checked the permit on her windshield. She had never needed a permit to park anywhere in Hopewell before.

She hopped out of the car, wrapping her mom’s jacket around her tightly, it was chillier than she had expected.

“Oh hey Toni, you’re here great. We will need you in about 30 minutes and Hank will walk you through some of the props and things we will need set up and torn down.” The producer Jack as he turned to say something to Shelby.

Did she always look that chipper at 8:30 in the morning? Thirty minutes, at least now she could run into Nan’s and get some coffee. Now Shelby was sitting alone and looking around, Jack at moved on to talk to a few of the camera men around. Toni had never seen so many moving parts around the Hopewell Square. Toni had no idea what compelled her but she walked over to Shelby, there was just something in the way she was just sitting there by herself that drew her over, Toni couldn’t put her finger on it.

“Hey, I’m going to go grab a coffee and some breakfast from Nan’s over there, you want anything?”

“Aw you are just the sweetest aren’t you. I’ll take a double mocha latte with three shots, made with almond milk and extra foam.” Shelby said.

Toni rolled her eyes, “How about a regular coffee with cream, no sugar? I think that’s more in Nan’s wheelhouse.”

“Oh right, sorry, I may have lived in LA too long. If I’m going to have real cream, might as go all out and have real sugar too, the works, doll.” Shelby said and Toni noticed the glint in her green eyes, they were really quite captivating.

“That accent doesn’t scream LA, where’s home?” Toni asked trying to loosen the spell of those eyes.

‘Nah you’re right, Fort Travis, Texas. A long way from Hollywood, not much different from here. Does this Nan make any food?” Shelby asked looking toward the diner off the square for the first time.

“Are you shooting right now, you could walk over with me and see if there’s anything you want, I mean if you wanted? Not sure Nan has much gluten free, vegan, keto offerings though. ” Toni asked before she could stop herself, what in the hell was she doing?

Shelby laughed. Man what a laugh she had, it was like a warm fireplace, it just made everything in hearing distance a little warmer, a little more inviting. “Do you even know what those things mean, they are definitely not the same thing.” Shelby said as she got off the chair and starting walking toward Nan’s.

“No, I have no idea. Just figured that’s what you LA types ate.” Toni said laughing. It felt nice to laugh with Shelby

“LA type huh? You think you have me all figured out? Would you be surprised to know I took down a 10 pt . buck? I used to hunt all the time with my dad.” Shelby hesitated as she said “my dad,” Toni could tell there was more to the story there. She could always pick up on parental angst, probably because she had so much of it herself.

“Yeah, actually that does surprise me, I didn’t think they let princesses have weapons.” Toni teased.

That laugh again, but this time there was a little bit more of an edge to it. “I’m hardly a princess, I just play one on tv,” Shelby joked as she opened the door to Nan’s and held it open for Toni. Toni could not remember the last time a woman had held a door for her.

They ordered food, Toni teasing Shelby about how many calories were probably in her pancakes. It was really surprising how easy it was to talk to Shelby, that was the last thing she had expected when she had first seen her at the Town Hall.

“Ms. Goodkind, there you are, we need you for a scene.” A lady with a clipboard and a headset on said she barged into the diner. If looks could kill, the one she gave Toni should have taken her out. Whoops, probably not a good start to her first day. Shelby threw a fifty on the table, threw a sorry look to Toni and ran off.

Maybe she wasn’t that different than what Toni had originally thought, throwing money at anything inconvenient. Toni took one last bite of her eggs and brought the 50 up to Nan at the counter. Nan how much do I owe for mine?” Toni asked handing the 50 to Nan.

“Oh honey, the fifty more than covers it.” Nana said shooing her away.

Toni hated letting Shelby pay for her and she hated the way that she had felt dismissed by her with the wave of her hand as she fretted away with the production assistant.

The day did not get any better from there, the work they had her doing was hard and physical and everything was hurry up and wait. She had no idea how much standing around waiting to be useful was involved in filming a TV show. The only bright spots were watching Shelby work, she really was magnificent. 

Toni was standing, of course, waiting around, when Shelby came out of her trailer for another scene and Toni went to say something to her and Shelby rushed right off without even noticing her. Whatever Toni had been picking up on at breakfast or had thought she had been picking up on had disappeared completely, she was back to being part of the crew, she might as well have become part of the scenery.


	4. Loneliness at the top

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shelby's second day on set

Shelby walked into the dingy hotel room and threw herself on the bed. She was really missing her bed. What a long day and it was only day one. Three more weeks of shooting the pilot so that would hopefully get picked up by a major network. Today had been mostly everyone getting organized, she had only shot one actual scene.

Shooting on location was lonelier than she thought it would be. Maybe it was just that it was getting to be Christmas time but she had found herself thinking more and more about her friends in LA, even her friends at the studio. She didn’t know anyone on set here and everyone was kept so separate from her, or separated themselves. It was just an unspoken rule, the crew didn’t really socialize with the talent. The only person that had broken it was the local woman hired to help, part of the deal to be allowed to film here, the crew had to be made up of a percentage of locals.

Shelby couldn’t remember her name, that was awful of her, she would have to try to make a point to learn it tomorrow. If she was being honest with herself, her favorite part of the day was sitting and talking with her in the diner. She was beautiful in a unique way and Shelby had been instantly comfortable talking to her. She had a confidence; you could almost call it a certain swag that Shelby had seen before in Renee. Maybe Shelby shouldn’t learn her name, her track record with women like that was not great. However, she was only here for 3 more weeks, how much damage could be done in three weeks, if she went in knowing not to let her heart get involved? It might be fun to have someone to spend these lonely Minnesota evenings with.

Shelby spent extra time on her on set outfit than normal the next morning, she giggled at herself and her ridiculousness, she would be getting into costume shortly after makeup and hair any way. Shelby stopped by the tiny local coffee shop next to her hotel, they were able to at least do lattes. Shelby wasn’t sure why, but she got 2 peppermint mocha lattes, it was their only holiday drink offering.

While her accommodations left a lot to be desired, the fact that she didn’t have to worry about getting a car to take her to set in the morning was great, the short walk to work helped her get into character for the small-town girl she was playing.

When she got to the square, she saw the local woman standing, laughing with another woman on the crew, one of the experienced workers from LA. Maybe the coffee had been a bad idea, Shelby didn’t even know the woman’s name, let alone if she liked peppermint mocha. Shelby watched as both of the women took out their phones, exchanging numbers she assumed. She went to the makeup trailer to start getting ready and dropped the second coffee in the trash on her way.

Shelby had concocted this whole story in her head, that there had been a mutual attraction yesterday at breakfast, but really, she just was so starved for human connection, she had made something out of a woman having a conversation with her. Shelby passed the woman again on the way back to her trailer and she hadn’t even smiled at Shelby. It really had all been in her head. Shelby was always attuned to where woman was working the rest of the day. She hated that she had paid special attention when she had been up on a ladder and her shirt had ridden slightly up her back as she reached up. Shelby looked away to be make sure to hide the blush that had worked its way up her cheeks.

Shelby was getting changed in her trailer to go back to the hotel for the night when there was a knock on her trailer door. Shelby wrapped a robe around her and opened the door expecting it to be the assistant assigned to her Molly, but of course it was the local woman. “Hey Ms. Goodkind, they asked me to drop the notes for tomorrow’s scenes.

Shelby took the notes and said nothing. There was something about this woman, her words just disappeared when their hands had accidentally brushed. Shelby called after her. “I’m sorry, it’s been a long day. Thank you.”

“No problem Ms. Goodkind, just doing my job.”

“Hey, call me Shelby, what was your name again?”

“Toni. Have a good night Shelby.” Toni said as she turned away her hands in the back pockets of her jeans that hugged her curves perfectly.

“Hey Toni, I need a break from my hotel room, anything going on in town tonight?”

Toni turned back around and smiled. “You have perfect timing; tonight, is actually the kickoff of the winter festival. There are live bands, food trucks, a bonfire, vendors all down by the water front and the lighting of the town tree. It’s not LA night life, but I always have a good time.”

Shelby smiled, Toni had her pegged all wrong. “That actually sounds nice, what time and can I walk from my hotel? I don’t imagine there is Uber in Hopewell?”

“Is that the fancy schmancy order a ride from your phone thing? Nah. And it’s a long walk. I have to bring some refreshments from Nan’s so I can pick you up on my way over. How about 7? I mean you do know how to ride in a pickup truck, right?” Toni teased. Shelby couldn’t help but smile.

“I’m from Texas, remember? I can ride and drive a pickup truck; I’ll have you know. And 7 sounds perfect, you know where they are putting me up at?” Shelby asked?

“Well aren’t you just full of surprises, Shelby Goodkind. And yeah, it’s not too hard to figure out, there’s only one hotel in Hopewell.” Toni said as smiled and turned and walked away, those hands in the back pocket of her jeans again.

Shelby shut the door of her trailer. A winter festival with a very attractive woman. Maybe this three weeks of filming in the middle of nowhere was looking up.


End file.
